The Kondor Art Centre, operated and curated by Hermes Kondor, is an exceptional and engaging hub for the arts in Second Life; one that is frequently evolving / changing in order to offer visitors multiple opportunities to appreciate artistic expression through the platform. An example of this came in February 2024, with the opening of the Kondor Art Museum.
Located in one half of the Kondor Art Garden, the museum presents a modern building with multiple halls for individual exhibitions of art spread across two floors. At the time of my visit, these offered displays on behalf of several Second Life artists I particularly admire: Maghda, Caly (Calypso) Applewhyte, Bamboo Barnes, Milena Carbone (who, at the time of writing, also had an exhibition entitled Whispering Waves in the neighbouring Art Garden), and Hermes himself.
Now, to be honest, I’ve no idea if these are permanent exhibitions or if they will be rotated with other artists over time. The artists here have been on display at the museum since it opened in February; something for which I’m actually grateful, giving it has given me the opportunity to catch-up with the work of these artists – notably Caly, Maghda and Bamboo, three incredibly expressive artists through (respectively) their avatar-centric photography (Caly and Maghda) and digital media art (Bamboo).
The lobby for the gallery features additional 2D and 3D art by ArtemisGreece, Scylla Rhiadra, Lalie Sorbet and Thus Yootz (with a remarkable collage entitled Real Life, Pictures within a Picture) and a further untitled piece by Hermes himself. These are all displayed within the museum’s lobby, from where it is possible to easily access each of the individual halls within the building, with the artists on display clearly labelled at the entrance point of each hall.
It is here that I have my one – minor – critique: it would be nice if the museum provided biographical information on the artists for those who might not be familiar with their work; or if not biographies, then perhaps an introduction to their displays within the halls. Doing so helps to encourage those engaging in the Second Life art environment to perhaps seek out and learn more about the artists they might be encountering for the first time. But again, this is a very minor critique.
This point aside, these are nevertheless thoroughly engaging displays of art, with Hermes’ physical world photography and Milena’s AI-generated (I believe) pieces nicely counterpointing the work of Caly, Maghda and Bamboo. Hermes’ presentation of his work from The Museum, his photo essay focused on the art of, and visitors to, Lisbon’s Calouste Gulbenkian Museum (home to one of the world’s most highly regarded art collections) provides a further nice counterpoint the idea of a gallery museum.
As noted, I’ve no idea if / when the individual art displays available at the Kondor Museum might be changing; as such, for those keen to catch the artists there at the time this piece was written – then it might be better to hop over and explore sooner rather than later, just in case. And while there, do take a walk around the Art Garden as well and appreciate the art displayed there.
SLurl Details
- Kondor Art Museum, Kondor Art Centre (Royal Tea, rated Adult)
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